After the White Sox embarrassing 11-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday Pedro Grifol told the media he would be addressing the team’s “unacceptable” lack of energy, particularly after falling behind early in games.
On Sunday the White Sox were finally able to stop the bleeding with a much-needed 10-5 victory over the Rockies, a game in which they fell behind early.
“We talked about it,” Grifol told reporters after the game. “We fell behind today and momentum wasn’t on our side. It was on theirs. It was good to see the guys continue to battle. It’s a good group in there. They root for each other, they fight for each other. Sometimes, it just doesn’t go our way. But I like what they’re doing in there.”
When asked about what was said during the team meeting about not having consistent energy Grifol responded, “Those are things that I don’t need to talk about with the media or anything like that. It stays in. But I like what they’re doing.”
These next few months are going to be critical for Pedro Grifol, which may be one of the reasons he has been emphasizing trying to rack up victories. Grifol knows his seat is getting warmer and he is doing everything he can to try and pad his resume.
When Grifol first took the job as the White Sox manager he was entering a locker room that had it’s fair share of issues. However, he was hailed as a great communicator and stressed the importance of showing up every night ready to play. It sounded like exactly what the doctor ordered for a team that at times looked like it was going through the motions in 2022.
This season it has been more of the same. For a manager who got the job based on his ability to communicate with players, having the team quit on him the final month of the season would be a very bad look. When you pair the already horrendous 49-75 record, Grifol’s job security is hanging on by a thread. Especially when you consider the recent Bob Nightengale report that the White Sox are conducting a series of internal interviews to determine whether dramatic changes are needed.
At this point of the season, the win-loss record is not important. Grifol should be playing the young kids on the roster so the organization can see if they have any pieces they build around in the future.
What is important is the effort or lack there of the team shows the rest of the way. If the team quits on Grifol in August, how can he be trusted to lead the same core of players next season?
The recent stream of negativity hasn’t helped his cause. Former relief pitcher Kenyan Middleton called out the lack of accountability in the clubhouse, Tim Anderson got suspended for five games after getting his clock cleaned during a benches-clearing brawl in Cleveland, and Yasmani Grandal was forced to respond to rumors that he slapped Anderson during a disagreement before the All-Star break.
Sunday’s comeback victory which was propelled by a seven-run eighth inning provides the White Sox a small bandaid for the recent bloodletting of negativity. It also gives them something to build on as the head home for a seven-game homestand against the Mariners and Athletics.
“We were confident all the way through,” rookie Oscar Colas said after Sunday’s victory through interpreter Bully Russo. “As everybody says, ‘The game doesn’t end until the last out.’ There are 27 outs.”
For Grifol’s sake let’s hope that mentality carries over into the next week.
